The Boy They Tried to Sacrifice

"Good morning, Mr. Lyon," the tall figure said with a smile.

He was massive, with thick hair and a wild beard, dressed in a heavy moleskin coat that made him look rather intimidating at first glance.

But anyone who knew him could see past the exterior—he was warm and kind. He was Rubeus Hagrid.

"Good morning, Hagrid," Lyon replied, his gaze shifting to the boy beside him. "And you must be the Harry Potter. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, and this is Matthew. You're both starting at Hogwarts this year—you'll be classmates."

Harry Potter, half-hidden behind Hagrid's towering frame, gave Matthew a brief, polite nod.

Matthew returned it in kind, his expression composed—neither too distant nor overly friendly.

There was an elegant calmness to his bearing, an instinctive balance of confidence and courtesy that reflected from his past life.

The Boy Who Lived seems a bit shy… Matthew thought quietly.

Seeing Matthew's measured response, Harry felt himself relax.

On the way to Diagon Alley, nearly everyone who had learned his name had been a little too enthusiastic.

They called him the "Boy Who Lived" and "The Savior of the Wizarding World," but their sudden admiration felt less like warmth and more like he was some kind of rare animal on display.

Matthew's reaction, though, felt like how a normal person would greet someone they'd just met.

Of course, Harry didn't blame anyone for their kindness—it was just that, after being mistreated for so long, he genuinely didn't know how to handle such sudden attention.

Thinking that over, Harry mustered his courage and stepped forward, extending his hand. "Hello, my name is Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you."

"Hello, I'm Matthew. It's nice to meet you, too," Matthew replied with a polite smile, shaking his hand.

Well, that counts as meeting the Child of the World.

Too bad there was no prompt like, You have touched...

Matthew had half-expected that simply coming into contact with the protagonist might grant him a new specialty.

Looks like farming the golden finger won't be that easy after all.

Meanwhile, Lyon and Hagrid had wandered off to the side, chatting quietly and paying no attention to the exchange between the two boys.

After the brief introduction, the four of them went their separate ways.

Harry followed Hagrid into the wand shop, while Matthew continued with Lyon through Diagon Alley to buy the rest of his supplies.

They stopped at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions for wizarding robes, then moved on to Flourish and Blotts for textbooks, and so on.

Unfortunately, Matthew didn't encounter any especially noteworthy alchemical items in the shops they visited.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder: if his Elementary Alchemy Talent could be upgraded, could that happen not only through theoretical knowledge but also through interacting with other alchemical creations?

With that thought in mind, he began using his "curiosity about magical objects" as an excuse to touch anything remotely magical or alchemical whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Unfortunately, there had been no effect so far.

However, a few alchemical items had reacted strangely after being touched—sudden changes that startled Matthew more than once.

It seemed that creations directly manifested by the World Will were rare, perhaps exceptionally so.

Matthew even began to suspect that only certain items—like wands—could reach that level.

Wands were the most iconic magical objects in the Harry Potter world.

They were magical amplifiers, governed by their own sets of rules and intricately bonded to wizards.

In this world, most witches and wizards couldn't cast spells without one.

Of course, Matthew knew that more advanced techniques existed—non-verbal casting, wandless casting…

A wand wasn't strictly necessary for magic, but for the vast majority of people, losing their wand meant losing most of their magical ability.

And the reason these higher casting methods were considered "advanced" was simple: only a rare few could truly comprehend the principles behind them and execute them correctly.

Still, Matthew firmly believed he would one day master that deeper layer of magical knowledge—and become one of those few.

Are you kidding? With Odin's Insight? Of course he would.

That thought reminded Matthew of a completely different magical civilization he had learned about in his previous life.

Wizards in that civilization rarely used wands.

Their most iconic symbol was the Wizard Tower.

Matthew wondered what it would be like to build a Wizard Tower in this world.

If he ever grew powerful enough, he definitely wanted to construct one of his own.

After all, this was no longer just the Harry Potter magical world.

This world was being watched—monitored—by Evil Gods from beyond.

From the moment he transmigrated, Matthew had realized that these entities had already begun corrupting portions of humanity through various channels, turning them into devoted followers.

It was clear now: the faith of mankind in this world was something the Evil Gods coveted and competed for.

And perhaps… even humans themselves were their food.

On top of that, the Harry Potter world wasn't as whimsical or charming as the fairy tales made it seem. Dark wizards and Death Eaters lurked in the shadows, and Lord Voldemort had not yet been defeated.

As these thoughts piled up, a deep sense of urgency welled up in Matthew's chest.

At first, learning he had transmigrated into the Harry Potter world had made him think he could enjoy a relaxed, magical journey—witnessing the beauty and wonder of its magical civilization.

But when combined with the grim reality now unfolding around him, only one truth remained crystal clear: Getting stronger was all that mattered.

After a day of shopping, Matthew and Lyon finally finished purchasing all the items needed for school.

On their way back to the Bar, Lyon suddenly received a message from the Ministry of Magic.

His previously relaxed expression turned grave in an instant.

"Alright, I'll be there right away." Lyon ended the communication and turned to Matthew. "Something urgent has come up. I need to handle it immediately."

"Don't go home yet. I'll arrange a room for you at Tom's. Stay at the bar for the next two days."

"What happened?" Matthew asked, noticing Lyon's sudden change in demeanor.

"The details are hard to explain, but it seems someone traced our home using a causality-based spell..."

"Oh my—"

"Fortunately, the Ministry has already responded and apprehended the intruders. Still, until we interrogate them and determine their purpose, it's safer if you don't return home."

Lyon crouched to meet Matthew's gaze, his expression serious.

"I understand, Mr. Lyon," Matthew replied.

He looked directly into Lyon's eyes and asked as calmly as he could, "Is it because of me?"

Were there still remnants of his foster father's faction?

"Don't overthink it. It might be because of me," Lyon said, raising his left hand slightly.

_____

I've set up a P tier for this, but it doesn't have any early chaps. It'll take a day or two to make the P tier 12-15 chaps ahead.

I think it'll be 15 chaps ahead by Sunday!✨🥰

P@!treon: DarkDevil1